If you’re a bird and waterfowl fan, you’ll love exploring and hiking at Cootes Paradise in Hamilton, Ontario. It’s one of our local hiking destinations, just at about the border of Hamilton and Burlington.
You can see Cootes Paradise – a wide expanse of water surrounded by wooded shorelines – as you drive into Hamilton from Burlington on the Thomas B. McQuesten High Level Bridge (York Blvd.).
The view beckons you to explore these shorelines, and the good news is that there are many trails that let you do just that.
We’ve often explored the trails here – losing ourselves in a good long walk in this gem of a natural area, found in “Steel town” – aka Hamilton.
So what can you experience here? And why should you hike at Cootes Paradise?
When you finish reading this post, you’ll know why it’s one of our favourite destinations!
Hiking At Cootes Paradise
Why do we love hiking at Cootes Paradise?
Here are a few reasons why:
- 18 km of hiking trails for hours of exploration
- 10 lookouts to check out the views and to look for migratory waterfowl
- 5 boardwalks that make it easy to explore
- 12 creek crossings for a varied scenery
Cootes Paradise is a 600-hectare wildlife sanctuary with a 320-hectare river mouth wetland. The lands are owned and managed by the Royal Botanical Gardens.
The wetlands are a catchment area for three main waterways:
- Borer’s Creek
- Chedoke Creek
- Spencer Creek
It’s connected to Hamilton Harbour via the Desjardins Canal, so you can extend your walk into one very long one.
Cootes has a multitude of hiking trails on the east and west sides of the wetlands. My wife Margaret and I have enjoyed walking along Sassafras Trail toward Sassafras Point several times.
We’re always on the lookout for wildlife at the ground level, as well as above in the trees.
Speaking of wildlife…
Cootes Paradise And Migratory Waterfowl
If you’re not much of a hiker but love to take photos, Cootes Paradise is the perfect place to take shots of birds and waterfowl in the spring and fall seasons.
Due to the location and topography of where Cootes is situated, it plays an important role for migratory birds and waterfowl.
Here you can find birds such as:
- Hooded warbler
- White pelican
- Caspian tern
- Osprey
- Pileated woodpecker
- Prothonotary warbler
If you’re lucky, you may spot bald eagles. In 2013, a pair of bald eagles made their nest at Cootes Paradise – the first time in 40 years. Who knows, perhaps you’ll be lucky in spotting them again!
Even if all you’re doing is hiking at Cootes Paradise, make sure to have a camera or your phone camera ready at hand. You never know what you’ll spot in the trees, water or the sky.
Other Activities At Cootes Paradise
Although we’re mostly hiking people, we know that there are other things we could be doing at Cootes Paradise.
We’ve seen people paddling along the shorelines: you can canoe and kayak.
For self-guided paddling you can access the water from two places:
- Princess Point
- Valley Inn at Grindstone Creek
There are options for guided and private tours of Cootes Paradise by canoe if you wish to have a more enriched experience.
There are also many places to find butterflies during their migratory period. Monarchs pass through this area in late August/ early September.
| RELATED: Spotting Deer In The Dundas Valley Conservation Area
Is Cootes Paradise Good For Families?
Absolutely!
We’ve taken our son hiking at Cootes Paradise several times. Spotting and recognizing different types of birds is a great learning experience for little kids.
You just need to keep an eye on them along the shorelines and at the boardwalks.
NOTE: The trails are not good for strollers. If you’re hiking with toddlers you may want to use a harness for hiking with tiny tots.
| RELATED: Tips For Stress-Free Family Hikes With Little Kids
Coordinates & How To Get To Cootes Paradise
Have we convinced you to make exploring and hiking at Cootes Paradise an entry on your summer activities list?
Here’s where it’s located:
Location Coordinates: 43° 16′ 37.06″ N, 79° 54′ 10.98″ W UTM 17N 589008 4792156
The best way to access the trails at Cootes Paradise is through:
- Princess Point (see the map to Princess Point)
- Arboretum (16 Old Guelph Rd – see the map to get to the RBB’s Arboretum)
For more useful information: the RBG’s Cootes Paradise info page.
Need more places to explore? Check out:
QUESTION: If you’ve been there, which of the hiking trails at Cootes Paradise do you recommend as the best?
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